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#ThrowbackThursday USA Wrestling History Lesson: Michial Foy

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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling

Photo courtesy of National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Welcome to a new weekly series on TheMat.com called USA Wrestling History Lesson. Each week, we will highlight one athlete that has wrapped up his or her wrestling career, sharing the impact that they’ve had on the sport.

This week, we take a look at Michial Foy, a 1989 World silver medalist and two-time Olympian in Greco-Roman.

Check out the other USA Wrestling History Lessons HERE.

Originally from Illinois, Foy began wrestling in high school, finding success quickly. He started his college career in junior college at Triton College. He went on to wrestle at the University of Minnesota, where he became a two-time Big Ten placer and two-time NCAA qualifier.

But where he shined was in the international styles.

In 1987, Foy took fourth at the Pan American Trials in freestyle. He eventually turned all of his focus to Greco-Roman, where his career took off.

One year after his fourth-place finish at Pan Am Trials, Foy topped the podium, winning the 1988 Olympic Trials at 90 kg in Greco. To earn the Olympic spot, Foy defeated Mike Houck, who was the first Greco-Roman World champion in USA Wrestling history with a 1995 World title.

At the Seoul Olympics, Foy put up a top-10 finish in his first major international tournament, taking eighth.

It wasn’t his only Olympic appearance. Foy also competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, finishing sixth on the World’s biggest stage.

Foy’s breakout year came in 1989, when he won the Pan American Championships and capped off that year with a silver medal at the 1989 World Championships.

He earned two more World Championships bids, representing the United States at the 1990 and 1994 World Championships.

Other notable international performances for Foy include a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games as well as helping the USA to bronze-medal finishes at the 1989 and 1990 World Cups.

Domestically, Foy was impressive, collecting U.S. Open titles in 1989, 1991 and 1992.

Currently, Foy serves as the head wrestling coach at Leo High School in Illinois. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the National African-American Wrestling Hall of Fame.

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